


Steady

by amukmuk



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25749136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amukmuk/pseuds/amukmuk
Summary: Fox is steady and Riyo is amazing.
Relationships: Riyo Chuchi/CC-1010 | Fox
Comments: 20
Kudos: 131





	Steady

**Author's Note:**

> This is for a prompt from fireemblemjazz: #1 “Have you ever kissed anyone before?” #59 “I want you to be proud of yourself. I want you to believe that you’re good enough because you are. You’re so amazing.” #60 “Did you get any sleep last night?”
> 
> I hope you like it, dear! :3

Being a new Senator is hard. For weeks Riyo Chuchi has struggled to make a difference, to do what she had sworn she would when she placed her hand on the Galactic Republic’s Constitution. She has no friends, no alliances. Each proposal she introduces immediately gets shot down because what does a Senator from a moon on the outer rim have to offer? 

As her final meeting for the day comes to a close, her frustration rises in the form of tears. Nothing is happening. She has never felt so stagnant or utterly useless. Charging down the senatorial hall, she looks pointedly at her feet, hoping no one will see her tears when she crashes into someone. Not just anyone, a clone. 

“I’m sorry,” she blurts, wiping her eyes hastily. “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, my apologies, sir.”

Offering a gloved hand to her, he easily hauls her up. “Are you alright, ma’am?” He asks.

Her lip absolutely does  _ not _ quiver. Maybe it is the neutral mask of his helmet, or maybe it is the protective aura he emits, but she rasps, “No.”

Immediately, his body tenses and he looks behind her, around her. “Did something happen to you? Are you hurt?”

She shakes her head. “No, no I am,” she laughs breathily. “I’m just feeling terribly down on myself. I’m sorry, you probably don’t have time to listen to my problems. Not when you are single-handedly solving all of Coruscant’s.”

He shifts his weight and shrugs. “Not single-handedly. I have a great team and I also have time to help a Senator. It is in my job description, ma’am.”

She nods. “I just feel so useless!” She flails her hands and he gently goads her away from the middle of the hall. “I can’t get any legislation introduced and everyone shoots down my ideas because I’m from a small moon in the outer rim. I hate being judged for what I am and not  _ who _ I am.” She spits. 

“I know that feeling,” he mutters. 

“Oh,” she reels and looks at him, searching his expressionless helmet for some sort of sign. “I’m sorry. I never-” 

He cuts her off, “I’m sorry, ma’am. That was out of line.”

“No… it needed to be said. I… I am terribly sorry for what you and your men go through. I cannot thank you enough for your service.”

He nods slowly. “It’s our duty, ma’am.”

She nods. “And it is mine to help my people, but…” she huffs. “I cannot seem to get anything introduced.”

He is quiet for a long moment before he asks, “Would you come with me, Senator?”

“I, well, of course, Commander.” She holds out her hand and he offers his arm after only a moment’s hesitation. He leads her through the halls and she only vaguely knows their whereabouts. It isn’t until they arrive at their destination that she knows where she is. “Oh Commander, I cannot just impose upon her this way.”

“Trust me, Senator.” He rings the chime and she tries to quell the storm of nausea brewing in her stomach. 

The door slides open, revealing The Senator Amidala - The People’s Senator. She’s even more gorgeous up this close. 

“Commander Fox, Senator Chuchi,” she smiles. 

Senator Amidala knows her name.

_ Senator Amidala knows her name!? _

“What can I do for you both this evening?” The Nabooian Senator moves aside, welcoming them into her office. 

“I was making my rounds, Senator, when I ran across Senator Chuchi. She discussed a legislation with me and, in my meager knowledge of Senatorial happenings, I thought she should propose it to you.”

Riyo knows her eyes are the size of those fancy platters in the dining hall and she barely prevents herself from exclaiming her surprise at the Commander’s actions. 

“Please, Fox, you’re too modest.” Senator Amidala turns towards her. “I’d love to hear more about it, if you don’t mind.” Turning back to Commander Fox, she asks. “Is there anything I can get you?”

“No, ma’am. I need to finish making my rounds.”

“Well in that case, have an excellent evening, Commander,” Senator Amidala bows her head. 

He does the same, giving both of the women present a subtle bow. “Senator Amidala, Senator Chuchi.”

She can barely unfreeze her tongue in time to bid him a good evening, followed by a modest curtsy. 

“So,” Senator Amidala takes her by the elbow and escorts her to the couches in her office. “Tell me about this legislation.”

~

“Commander!” Riyo spots him walking down the hall and runs to catch up with him. With his shoulders scrunching to his ears, he turns, and upon seeing her, he relaxes ever so slightly. 

“Senator Chuchi,” he nods. She notes that he almost sounds relieved. 

“I wanted to thank you,” she smiles. “I haven’t seen you around. But my legislation is being drafted. Hopefully, with enough signatures the people of Pantora will receive funds to help with the drought that has claimed most of their crops. I couldn’t have done it without you, Commander.”

He nods slowly. “I’m glad I could be of help, ma’am.”

“Please, call me Riyo.”

He nods again, but doesn’t say anything. 

She feels like this should be the end of their conversation, but she’s not ready to say goodbye just yet. “Do you have any plans for midday meal, Commander?”

He nods. “Yes, ma’am. I am supervising a prisoner exchange.”

She chews her bottom lip, “How about evening meal?”

Slowly, he shakes his head. “I… will be doing paperwork, ma’am, but I think I could manage a quick break to eat.”

“Wonderful,” she smiles. “May I pick you up?”

“Ma’am, it really isn’t necessary and I must protest.”

“Feel free to protest all you like, but it  _ is  _ absolutely necessary. You have helped me save my people, that is not something I take lightly.”

“Then I accept, ma’am.”

She arches an eyebrow. 

“Then I accept,  _ Riyo _ .”

~

Fox is a beautiful man, inside and out. Her thoughts are only reaffirmed when she wakes in the medbay to the sight of flowers by her bed. Well, actually, she has several bouquets around her room, but one in particular catches her eye. It is modest, but consists of her favorite flowers - Pantoran Night Lilies. They only bloom in the evening, but the brilliant, burgundy petals could not be mistaken anywhere. “Droid,” Riyo instructs the medical droid at her side. “Could you hand me the note on the lilies please?”

It does as instructed and she takes the piece of flimsi into her hands. Written in neat, all capital letters is a note from her dear friend. 

_ Senator,  _

_ I would like to send you my sincerest apologies for you having been injured. It was unacceptable. The men of the Coruscant Guard, along with myself, hope that these ease the burden of your recovery.  _

_ Respectfully,  _

_ Commander Fox _

With a soft smile she folds the letter close to her chest. She knows what it truly says and that is: 

_ Riyo,  _

_ I’m sorry I’m not able to be with you right now. Duty calls and I will catch the bounty hunter who hurt you, rest assured. I hope these at least make you smile.  _

_ Yours,  _

_ Fox _

She is grateful for many things: for surviving her first encounter with a bounty hunter, for being someone with some authority in the Senate now, but mostly for her unexpected friendship with one clone Commander. Fox has surprised her in so many ways, but his soft compassion is truly something to behold. She had heard rumors about him, about how he is heartless and calculating, but she finds he is only that way because it is easy. It is easy to wear a mask of what people expect to see - she has been doing it for ages, that is just par for the course in senatorial duties. People see the helmet and they see a clone commander who makes the cold, calculated decisions in the name of justice and peace in a city where there is none. 

What they don’t know is that he is gentle, kind, loving. 

He is human, that is what they don’t know. 

~

With her crutch - her leg is still healing; the doctors had offered a two-day stay in a bacta tank, but she had refused, citing that it would take too much time from her duties - she limps her way into his office. Standing at the front desk, commanding his switch board and many screens is one Lieutenant Fort, someone she has gotten to know quite fondly over the past six months. “Fort,” she smiles. 

He beams. “Coruscant Guard Office, please hold.” He flips a few switches and turns his full attention to her. “Senator! How are you? Commander said you’d be down for a while.”

“I was actually just coming to see him.”

His face falls. “Oh… Senator, ah, that probably wouldn’t be a good idea. He’s… been really pissed all morning.”

“I imagine he is. I saw on the holonet that the bounty hunter got away.”

Fort grabs the back of his neck. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I’d like to see him, if it’s all the same.”

“Of course, you know where his office is.”

She smiles. “Thank you.”

Riyo resettles herself on her crutch and limps her way back to his office. Knocking once, she is greeted with a sinister bark. “I said. No. Visitors!”

With a wry smile twisting at her lips, she presses the button to open the door anyway. He jolts from his desk, undoubtedly preparing to hurdle it and wring his disturber’s neck, when he sees her. “Oh. Senator Chuchi. What can I do for you?”

Smiling in earnest now, she enters. “I’m not here on official business, Fox. I was just coming to check on my friend.”

He grimaces and runs a hand through his hair. “I should be doing that for you… You could have died.”

She crosses his shoebox-sized office and rests a gentle hand on his arm. His vambraces have been removed and, from the looks of them, tossed across the room in frustration. “But I didn’t. Fox… when was the last time you slept?”

His brow crinkles but he doesn’t answer right away. “I’m sure it was some time recently,” he mutters, avoiding her eyes. 

Using her crutch, she eases herself to the floor. “Come here.”

“What?” He freezes. 

“Come sit with me.”

He lowers himself onto the floor next to her, both of them resting against the cabinets behind them. In one movement, she shrugs off her shawl, pulls him down onto her shoulder and drapes her shawl over them. 

“What are you doing?” He asks, but he doesn’t move. 

She takes that as a good sign. Either he doesn’t mind the proximity, or he is too exhausted to protest. 

“I am making you take a moment to breathe. Get some rest.”

They are silent for a few moments and just when she thinks he has finally drifted off, he mumbles. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Why is that?” She lifts her other hand and gently runs her fingers through his hair. It is softer than she had expected. 

“I had to find him. I had to find him and make him pay for hurting you… I thought,” his voice sounds strained until he clears his throat. “I thought I lost you.”

“Well I am here and very much alive.”

His body relaxes further into her and he rumbles. “Good.”

~

Riyo paces the length of her living room. Fox stands in the center by her coffee table, arms folded across his chest watching her ping pong back and forth across the room. “I can’t do this! I cannot  _ do  _ this!” She cries. 

He sighs and removes his bucket. “Yes, you can.”

“No. I cannot! This… this is huge! This is the most important bill we have brought in front of the Senate and Bail was supposed to provide the introduction! He’s the best speaker in the Senate, we all know this!” That is probably why she is in this predicament now. Everyone knew that if Bail presented this bill, it would ultimately get passed, thus negatively affecting the Trade Federation. That is precisely why he is in a bacta tank right now recovering from a blaster bolt that nearly took his life, and Commander Fox is standing in her living room. He is her protective detail until the vote, and his company is probably the only good thing to have come from this whole disaster.

“I can’t do this!” She continues. “I- I am just a Senator from the Outer Rim! I cannot speak as well as Bail and even if I did, nobody would not believe me! What benefits do I have to offer them? I’m not from Alderaan or Naboo. I’m just…” she hiccups on her own anguish. “I’m just me.”

Slowly, but with determination, Fox moves towards her. He hesitates for only a moment and surprises them both by taking her shoulders into his hands. “You’re going to cut that shit out right now.”

Her eyes widen. “What?”

“You are going to walk out into that rotunda and you are going to convince every single one of those overpaid bastards to vote for your bill, not because you will owe them favors later, but because it’s the right fucking thing to do.”

“But I-”

He doesn’t let her finish that thought. “Riyo,” his deep brown eyes soften and he runs his hands up and down her arms. “I want you to be proud of yourself… I… I want you to believe that you are good enough to do this because you are. You’re so amazing. I just,” his voice trails off into a whisper. “I just wish you could see what I see.”

Tears trickle down her face and he wipes them away with his thumbs. His gloves are coarse, but his warmth is welcome. She leans into his touch. “Fox…”

He hushes her quietly, before pulling away and handing her shawl to her. “Now. You have a speech to give. You’re going to give it and you’re going to show those self-righteous pricks who's really running the Senate because sure as shit isn’t the Trade Federation. Is it, Senator?”

She beams. “No, it isn’t, Commander.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” he shoves his bucket back on his head. A shame, really, she would have very much liked to have kissed him. “Now, let’s move out.”

~

The bill passed. 

Elated, Riyo practically drags Fox through her garden. The bushes are high, towering above both of them, a maze to which only she knows the entrance and exit. It is a modest maze, but she loves the greenery. She giggles with sheer joy. 

How had Fox put it?

The Trade Federation could fuck off. 

They reach the center of the maze and she drags them over to the sculpted durasteel bench facing the moon Goddess of Wisdom. When she had first been elected, the decorators had asked if she had any preference - this was the one thing she requested. She had hoped the Goddess would provide her with the knowledge to be a good senator, but it turns out she already had it. 

What she had needed was someone in her corner. A steady presence who never doubted her, even when she didn’t think she was worth his blind faith. Her laughter rolls away, suddenly aware that they are  _ alone _ . There are no cameras around, no senators vying for their attention. His bucket is clipped to his hip, she’s not certain when it got there, but his brown eyes are flicking over her face. She really does love the way he looks at  _ her _ , how he sees her when so few take the time to do so. 

Hesitantly - because one part of her, perhaps the rational one, is telling her this is a bad idea, while the other one sings with righteousness - she leans toward him. He echoes her movement, shifting his body so that mere breaths and self-control part them. 

She crumbles. 

She captures his lips with her own and is pleasantly surprised when she feels him card his fingers through her hair. 

She’s not certain how long their lips move together, as partners should. Because that is what he is, her partner. Her dearest friend. Her closest confidant. Her Fox. 

“Wow,” she breathes when they separate. 

“What? Never kissed someone before?” He asks cheekily. 

“Never someone so talented.” She claims his mouth once more, swallowing the laugh that would have been deep and warm had it had the chance to escape. Fox, she realizes, is so warm. His laugh. His voice. His hands. 

They part again. “Thank you,” she whispers. 

“For what?” He murmurs. 

“For believing in me.” 

“Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! <33  
> Tumblr: amukmuk


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